


Change of Heart

by starsmahogany



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Early Mornings, F/M, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Post-Mockingjay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-12 18:15:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16877820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsmahogany/pseuds/starsmahogany
Summary: Mornings have never been so pleasant for Katniss before. What used to be a fight for survival has now turned into a fight to get out of bed. Peeta's definitely not making it any easier.Post-Mockingjay, Katniss' POV. Originally posted to Tumblr September 2018.





	Change of Heart

I’m so used to waking up to the cold.

For the majority of my life, my mornings have consisted of empty beds, lonely rooms, and brisk hunts. They’ve consisted of fear, of dread, of sorrow, the only thing really getting me up being the need to provide and protect.

So I’m quite new to awakening to a cozy, warm,  _safe_  atmosphere. Peeta’s body pressing against my back side and his lips ghosting upon my neck certainly help with the adjustment though.

I cannot help but smile softly to myself, remaining still and selfishly savoring the moment. I never thought I’d get to experience this. I’d never thought I’d get so much joy in waking. It’s almost like I have to cling to it to make sure it’s actually real.

Because everything is picture perfect. The dawn melody of various birds and insects pours through our window, enveloping the room in a peaceful ambiance. The rays of the rising sun warm me from the front, while Peeta rivals them from behind. The wind sifts through the trees and makes its way into our room, its bristling touch tempting me to slide even further into bed.

A contented hum passes through my lips, but when it’s rivaled by a mockingjay somewhere in the woods, I cannot help but snap back to my senses. It’s a reminder that I too, should be flying through the trees and making hunt.

I shift a bit and gaze around the room. What time is it anyway? The sun seems to have risen a little more than I would like, because the room is basking in a golden glow as opposed to a light pink. Deer and other creatures are more plentiful at dawn. I probably needed to be out hours ago.

I bite my lip, the habitualness of hunting coaxing me to rise. I’m stopped however, by a strong yet soft pair of arms tightening around my waist, followed by a low groan.

Though I roll my eyes, I cannot help but smile a bit.

“Peeta…”

There’s a bit of a pause, before he stirs more behind me, nestling our bodies even closer together.

“Hmmm…” he hums, and I can practically feel the warmth of his smile as he continues, “Yes, love?”

A twinge of redness runs through my cheeks at both his affection and the proximity of our beings. This definitely isn’t going to be an easy argument.

“We should probably get up…”

“Mmm, I think I’m good right here, thank you…”

I let out a huff of laughter, matching the grin resting upon my collar.

“Don’t you have things to do?”

“I suppose,” he replies, before chuckling quietly, “But something definitely takes priority on my ‘to-do’ list.”

I narrow my eyes at what sounds like a double entendre, and Peeta confirms it to be such when he begins to kiss my neck, his lips dancing across my skin. Hunting is looking less and less important. Still, I stubbornly press on.

“You need to bake. And I have to hunt.”

“There’s plenty of time to do that later…”

“There’s plenty of time to do _this_ later too.”

His kisses pause, his lips stretching into a cocky grin.

“There’s never enough time to do this,” he murmurs, his voice sending a shiver down my spine, “I could live in this forever.”

“But you can’t.”

He chuckles again, before giving a playful nip at my earlobe that sends a gasp from my mouth.

“Never hurts to try.”

Finally, I decide to roll over in his embrace to face him, scowling all the while. Though, there are hints of teasing and amusement pulling at the corners of my mouth.

The moment our stares connect, the moment I take in his shining, gentle, wonderfully happy gaze, my argument fades even further from view. And the moment Peeta gets a load of my rather signature expression, his laugh practically shakes the bed.

“Morning, beautiful,” he chuckles, leaning forward to give me the first kiss out of the many to come today.

“Morning,” I murmur when our lips break, “Or almost afternoon, rather.”

“It’s not _that_  late, Katniss,” he snickers, kissing me once more.

“It’s late enough,” I say against his mouth, “I should be deep in the woods by now.”

He leans back a tad so his lips are just ghosting across mine, his grin growing all the more smug.

“And I should be deep in…”

When his teasing pause does what it’s intended to, sending another shudder down my form and a flash through my eyes, he continues his sentence.

“-to baking,” he laughs, pecking the tip of my nose.

My mornings are certainly getting warmer alright, what with the sultry teasing from Peeta sending fires shooting through my core. I’m a creature of habit, used to waking up as early as possible and spending my whole morning among flora and fauna. I’m used to solitude, to loneliness, to sticking to a schedule.

Things are different now though. Things are fuller, more complete. Peeta gives my life an entirely new meaning, something I’ve never experienced before until now.

And in looking at him, in seeing the mutual longing passing through our stares, in feeling the heat rising within the room, I cannot help but decide that maybe a bit of change isn’t a bad thing.

He must somehow see into my soul, see my barriers come crashing down, his smile shifting a tad as more passionate emotions move in. He moves in to give me another kiss, this one feeling far warmer than the previous, the two of us quickly losing composure.

“I’ll try to make things worth your time, Katniss,” he whispers into my lips, “If you’ll let me.”

I let out a shaky sigh, my breath shivering against his. The growing warmth, the growing want, the growing need, make it all the more easy to duck away from my usual routine.

So with a final stubborn huff, I lace my hands around the back of his neck, pulling him even closer. Though his brilliant blue eyes are stormier with want, his grin breaks through the clouds, shimmering all the while.

“I guess I’ll have to be the judge of that, then,” I murmur, cutting his chuckling and triumphant expression off with a deep kiss.

Before I know it, I’m on my back, my clothes and daily tasks thrown off to the side. Peeta’s atop me, deep into, well, the priority of his to-do list. And with each passing second, each passing dance of our mouths, each passing thrust of our hips, I find myself happier and happier that I put off hunting.

We grow completely engulfed in each other, and only each other. Our moans begin to drown out the outside world, our passions throwing a blanket over the tasks that await us. The focus of the morning shifts entirely around us, around our love, nothing else seeming too important at all.

Our finishing cries seem to solidify this, the once-bustling activity of the morning falling silent at our keens. When Peeta finally rolls off of me and I snuggle back into his embrace, the two of us panting heavily and coming down from our high, I can guiltily admit my priorities have also taken a complete 180.

I cuddle closer to Peeta, sighing as he lazily caresses my hair and cheeks, drawing intricate patterns with his touch. Even when the blood lessens its pounds in my ears, and I can start to hear the outside world once more, I remain still, remain with the warmth I’ve grown to love more than the cold dawn.

I wouldn’t be too upset with living in this forever too. 

“Take it it was worth your time, then?” Peeta murmurs, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.

“Mmm…” I sigh simply in return, snuggling my face more into his neck, under his chin.

He laughs a bit, kissing the bridge of my nose.

“I love you, Katniss,” he murmurs into my skin, his lips still pulled up in his wonderful smile.

A blush rolls across my cheeks, but I’m not hesitant to return his sentiments, snuggling even closer and lacing my arms around him.

“I love you too…”

There we remain, nestled into our mess of disheveled pillows and blankets, long enough for the shadows cast through our window to morph and dance across the comforter. Peeta continues to stroke my jaw and cheeks, I his back, the two of us offering the occasional kiss.

Strangely enough, things take another 180; Peeta is the one to stir this time, pulling back slightly against my embrace. When I stubbornly tug in return, he lets out a deep laugh. We’re never going to get anything done at this rate. Still, one of us continues to try.

“Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to get some baking done this morning. And you with hunting,” he chuckles, though I can hear the slight joking twinge to his voice.

What I say next however, gets him laughing hard, his own words being thrown right back at him.

“I’m good right here, thank you…”


End file.
